Description: Destruction of arctic permafrost coasts occurs as a result of a complex suite of processes, predominantly thermal abrasion and denudation. Activation of these processes can be particularly observed in case of massive ground ice bodies (ice wedges or tabular ground ice) that become exposed on high bluffs along the coastline. Tabular ground ice is a widespread geological feature on Arctic plains. Thermo-denudation of exposed ground ice includes ice ablation, thaw of enclosed frozen deposits and the development of retrogressive thaw slumps with thermo-cirques or thermo-terraces formation. Due to its high self-enforcing process intensity thermodenudation can be referred to as one of the most hazardous processes of permafrost degradation. We are study the current coastal destruction dynamics in the western (Kolguev Island) and eastern-most (Novaya Sibir’ Island) occurrence of tabular ground ice in the Eurasian Arctic. With higher temporal resolution, studies on Kolguev Island continue earlier research efforts on coastal dynamics, while thaw slumps on Novaya Sibir’ still require a quantitative assessment of their erosion dynamics. Coastal dynamics are analyzed using a whole set of multi-temporal satellite images of high and very-high spatial resolution (GeoEye, WorldView, Alos Prism, SPOT, Formosat, and Kompsat). For orthorectification purposes, the 12 m TanDEM-X DEM has been used. However, since the TanDEM-X DEM is based on averaged bistatic SAR surveys acquired during the period 2010 – 2012. This DEM can be used only for orthorectification of images newer than 2012 to determine the exact position of the coastal bluffs and thermocirque edges. We therefore reconstructed the relief along erosive coastline segments by modifying the initial TanDEM-X DEM through extrapolation of coastal bluffs edge elevation values and restoration of the coastal plain relief at 200 – 300 m towards the sea for orthorectification of images prior to 2012. All raw images were terrain-corrected and georeferenced using a comprehensive block adjustment, resulting in a very high absolute and relative accuracy of all images. On western part of Kolguev Island coastal retreat rates during the 2002 – 2012 period varied from 1.7 to 2.4 m/year. Thermo-cirque growth averaged rates were 2.6 m/year, maximum 14.5 – 15.1 m/year. We are about to extend our observations to more recent high resolution acquisitions. We are currently processing new data on the Novaya Sibir’ Island, where tabular ground ice exposures occur in the northern part of the island in the Mira Bay. This study is carried out in the same way as on the Kolguev Island and will allow to detect commonalities and differences in two contrasting environmental settings with “warm” and very cold permafrost.

Description: Thermokarst lakes are a characteristic element of arctic permafrost regions and an indicator for their rapid landscape changes. Assessing their dynamics contributes to the understanding of driving processes of change, to the evaluation of impacts on landscape characteristics as well as to the estimation of the impact on the permafrost-related carbon budget. Monitoring thermokarst lake dynamics on the Bykovsky Peninsula, consisting of ice-rich Yedoma deposits, using high resolution remote sensing imagery from 1951 to 2016, revealed a long-term tendency towards lake drainage. Approximately 17% of the 1951 lake area was lost due to coastal erosion or the development of drainage networks. In parallel, coastal erosion driven land loss amounts to 2.3% of the peninsula. We find process interconnections between coastal erosion and lake change, as well as lake change dependency on land elevation in a developed alas-yedoma thermokarst relief.

Description: The Lena Delta in eastern Siberia is the largest Arctic delta. Its terrestrial surface is shaped by four geomorphologic units. The oldest unit is built of remnants of late Pleistocene Yedoma Ice Complex (IC) and its degradation features. The studied Yedoma cliff on Sobo Sise Island in the South-Eastern part of the delta ranges from the river level to about 28 m height and is about 1.7 km long. During a field campaign in 2018, the entire permafrost sequence of the Sobo Sise Yedoma cliff has been sampled in 0.5-m vertical intervals. The geochronological record of the Sobo Sise Yedoma spans the last 52 ka cal BP based on radiocarbon dating and age-height modelling. The sequence differentiates into three cryostratigraphic units that are MIS3 Yedoma IC (52–28 ka cal BP), MIS2 Yedoma IC (28–15 ka cal BP) and MIS1 Holocene cover (7–0 ka cal BP). The cryostratigraphic sequence is not continuous, but has chronological gaps at 36–32.5 ka cal BP, at 20.5–18 ka cal BP and at 12.5–9 cal ka BP. These gaps represent traces of past changes in permafrost deposition and/or erosion regimes and climatic conditions. The cryostratigraphic units of the Yedoma cliff are characterized by differing properties of their clastic, organic and ice components. All units are built of poorly sorted sandy silt but differ in prevalent grain-size fractions ranging from fine silt to middle sand. The organic matter (OM) content is highest in the thin MIS1 Holocene cover (TOC of 11.3±9.9 wt%, TN of 0.6±0.3 wt%), but still substantial in MIS3 Yedoma IC (TOC of 4.5±2.5 wt%, TN of 0.3±0.1 wt%) and in MIS2 Yedoma IC (TOC of 2.1±1.3 wt%, TN of 0.2±0.1 wt%). The presence of syngenetic ice wedges in all units and the high content of intrasedimentary ice amount to a total volumetric ice content of 88.4 vol%. The high ice content in combination with the exposition of the cliff towards the main river channel results in a very high susceptibility to thaw and thermo-erosion. The high mean cliff erosion rate of 10.3 m yr−1 (1975-2018) results in large OM quantities entering the Lena River (3.2±2.1 kt organic carbon per year, 0.3±0.1 kt nitrogen per year along the 1.7 km long Yedoma cliff). Ongoing fluvial dynamics and changing runoff regimes with extended ice-free seasons and warmer water will most likely maintain high permafrost cliff erosion rates in the future and further facilitate high fluxes of terrestrial fossil OM into the riverine and eventually marine ecosystems.

Description: The present study of the permafrost exposed the Sobo-Sise Yedoma cliff in the eastern Lena Delta provides a comprehensive cryostratigraphic and organic matter (OM) inventory, insights into permafrost aggradation and degradation over the last about 52 thousand years and their climatic and morphodynamic controls on regional scale of the Central Laptev Sea coastal region in NE Siberia.

Description: Kolguev Island is the most western point in the Russian Arctic with tabular ground ice occurrence. Since the Barents Sea is characterized by strong sea ice decline, it is very interesting to study coastal dynamics in conjunction with cryogenic processes in this region. Ice exposures on coastal bluffs favor the activation of thermal abrasion and thermal denudation. Headwall retreat of retrogressive thaw slumps causes not only thermocirque formation, but also leads to increasing coastal destruction rates. This study on Kolguev Island continues and expands our earlier research efforts on coastal dynamics in the region. As a result of field and remote sensing data analysis, coastline classification and segmentation were done according to the morphodynamics principle. The following types are defined: 1) thermo-abrasion wave exposed cliffs, 2) abrasion (thermo-abrasion) with stabilized cliffs, bordered by beaches or accumulative terraces, 3) sheltered abrasion (thermo-abrasion) cliffs, 4) accumulating coasts and accumulative forms, 5) accumulated coasts with sheltered tidal flats, 6) deltas. Thermo-abrasion cliff coasts are predominantly distributed in the west, north and northeast of the island, and accumulative shores in the south, southeast and east of the island. New data on thermal denudation and thermal abrasion rates for Kolguev Island have been obtained using a whole set of multi-temporal satellite images of high and very-high spatial resolution (GeoEye, WorldView, Alos Prism, SPOT, Formosat, RapidEye and Kompsat) covering the period from 2002 to 2017. For image orthorectification purposes, the 12 m TanDEM-X DEM has been used. However, since the TanDEM-X DEM is based on averaged bistatic SAR surveys acquired during the period 2010–2012. This DEM can be used only for orthorectification of images newer than 2012 to determine the exact coastal bluff position and thermocirque edges. We therefore reconstructed the relief along erosive coastline segments by modifying the initial TanDEM-X DEM through extrapolation of coastal bluff edge elevations and restoration of the coastal plain relief at 200–300 m towards the sea for orthorectification of images prior to 2012. All raw images were terrain-corrected and georeferenced using a comprehensive block adjustment, resulting in a very high absolute and relative accuracy of all images. On the western coast of Kolguev Island, average coastal bluff retreat rates between 2002 and 2012 varied from 1.7 to 2.4 m/year. Within key-sites that included three large thermocirques maximum headwall retreat rates were 1.9-15.1 m/year for 2002-2012 and 2.2-13.5 m/year for 2012-2017 yrs. In comparison, activation of thermo-denudation has been also noted along the Kara Sea coast where rates raised up to 13 m/year and were generally correlated with changing environmental factors, particularly expressed in an increase on the thaw index during recent years. Accumulative forms in the southern part of Kolguev Island are also being eroded. Thus, on Vostochnye Ploskie Koshki (on the south of the island), the retreat of formerly accumulative coasts from 2009 to 2016 in some areas amounted up to 62 m. This study was supported by RFBR grants № 18-05-60080 (coastal destruction rates estimation), 18-05-60221 (method of satellite images orthorectification, based on reconstructed DEM), ERC grant #338335 PETA-CARB, and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from BMBF and EU FP7, grant #605728.

Description: Surface subsidence is a widespread phenomenon in Arctic lowlands characterized by permafrost deposits. Together with active layer thickness dynamics surface subsidence is an important indicator of permafrost degradation in climate warming conditions. Due to small changes of surface heights of several centimeters or less per year, high-resolution and high-accuracy data are necessary to detect thaw subsidence dynamics in tundra lowlands. An appropriate method to receive such data is repeat terrestrial laser scanning (LiDAR). However, for LiDAR data analysis, uncertainties connected with vegetation dynamics should be taken into account. The vegetation type and its succession reflect the microrelief features, resulting in an areal differentiation of surface heights changes. Depending on wetness, possible influences might result from moss-lichen cover and its thickness dynamics. In this study we present some results of the vegetation characteristics and dynamics in context of its impact on the terrestrial LiDAR investigations for thaw subsidence assessment on yedoma uplands. During expeditions to the Lena Delta and the Bykovsky Peninsula in Northern Yakutia in 2015-2016, repeat terrestrial laser scanning was conducted on yedoma uplands formed by very ice-rich Yedoma Ice Complex deposits. On the Bykovsky Peninsula, detailed vegetation descriptions of the main vegetation types were done including all species projective cover, cotton grass tussocks height and area sizes, moss-lichen thickness and ALT measurements. Subsidence was about 3.5 cm on average and is mostly observed on drained inclined sites with dwarf-shrub graminoid, cotton-grass, moss-lichen tundra, representing initial baydzherakhs (thermokarst mounds). Surface heave is observed mainly within bogged depressions with sedge, moss tundra. The average ALT was 39±4.1 cm and 32±5.6 cm in 2015 and 2016, respectively. However, the ALT significantly varies locally and depends on the vegetation type and species. Cotton grass leaves average length decreased from 14.4 in 2015 to 12.9 as well as tussock area size (0.32 m2 in 2015, and 0.13 m2 in 2016). This data can be used for the interpretation of LiDAR data for sites with cotton grass prevalence. Less deep ALT and cotton grass size in 2016 indicate that climate conditions were less favorable for seasonal subsidence development in 2016. The sum of positive daily air temperatures was almost in the same order of magnitude in 2016 as in 2015 for the period until end of August (636 degree days in 2015 and 628 degree days in 2016). However, interannual surface subsidence was progressing, indicating a decreased resistivity of yedoma uplands in terms of thaw subsidence under current, generally warmer conditions. The thickness of the moss-lichens layer in average is about 5 cm for the live part and 12 cm for both live and non-live parts. The lab drying in the 20°С conditions shows the decrease of moss-lichens layer samples thickness from 12,4 to 11,8 cm in average. The changes of moss-lichens thickness could be ignored as drying resulted in small changes it is very unlikely to have such drying in really tundra conditions Our results show the importance of considering vegetation and their dynamics for the interpretation of repeat terrestrial LiDAR data for thaw subsidence estimation.

Description: Tabular ground ice bodies are widely spread on Eurasian and North American Arctic plains. Exposed tabular ground ice in coastal bluffs favors the activation of thermal abrasion and thermal denudation, which in turn causes increasing coastal destruction rates. Thermo-denudation under conditions of ground ice exposures includes thawing of ice and frozen sediments along retreating headwalls of retrogressive thaw slumps and their constant enlargement. Thermo-cirques and thermo-terraces are two basic landform types that either feature channelized or broad open outlets, depending on the initial ice body outcrop by the denudation processes inland or in the retreating coastal bluffs. We study key-sites on Kolguev Island (Barents Sea) and on Yugorsky Peninsula (Kara Sea), continuing and extending earlier research efforts on coastal dynamics in the region. New data on thermo-denudation and thermo-abrasion rates for these key-sites have been obtained using a set of multi-temporal satellite images of high and very-high spatial resolution covering the period from 2002 to 2016. For orthorectification purposes of imagery collected prior to TanDEM-X acquisitions, we used an edited version of the 12 m TanDEM-X DEM. Along erosive coastline segments the former relief situation was reconstructed through extrapolation of coastal bluff edge elevation values and restoration of the coastal plain relief towards the sea. On the western coast of Kolguev Island, average coastal bluff retreat rates between 2002 and 2012 varied from 1.7 to 2.4 m/year, while averaged rates of thermo-cirques headwalls retreat were 2.6 m/year. Maximum rates at some sections increased up to 14.5-15.1 m/year in the recent past. High rates of thermo-denudation increase were not only observed on western Kolguev Island, but also on the Yugorsky Peninsula, were rates raised up to 13 m/year in recent years. Activation of thermo-denudation is also noted in other parts of Kara Sea coasts and were generally correlated with changing environmental factors, particularly expressed in an increase on the thaw index during recent years.